Kikuchi Signs With Seibu

Yusei Kikuchi is officially a pro. The young lefty has inked his first contract with the Seibu Lions. Unsurprisingly, Kikuchi gets the max deal: 100m yen (about $1m) signing bonus, a 15m yen ($150k) first year salary, 50m yen ($500k) in performance bonuses.

Kikuchi will wear number 17. Word is that he’ll be in camp with the top team next spring, and have a special training program.